Booked for the Evening
by UndiscoveredQueen19
Summary: Draco finds himself in a sticky situation, but sometimes having a partner in crime who's got your back isn't such a bad thing. Oneshot. Dramione.


Booked for the Evening

It certainly was not an ideal situation, but it was a situation nonetheless, and Draco Malfoy had found himself right in the middle of it.

It was not his fault that no other tables were available in the library – not by any stretch of the imagination. It was also not his fault that he had forgotten to study for his Charms examination – Flitwick had only mentioned it once before, and Draco had a lot on his mind anyway. And it most certainly was not his fault that the only other available table was currently occupied by the Gryffindor know-it-all: the bane of his existence, Hermione Granger.

When he first took a sweeping glance around the library, packed to the brim with students frantically studying for their upcoming O.W.L.S., he nearly groaned aloud upon seeing that only one table was not the temporary home of at least twenty other Hogwarts students. In fact, not even Potter or the Weasel were sitting with her; Hermione was focused on a ridiculously thick tome lying on the table in front of her, brow furrowed and fingers tracing imaginary patterns on the tabletop as she read.

Draco's first thought was to turn back to the Slytherin common room. If he went back up, he could curl up on the couch next to the fire and be spared a potentially demeaning predicament. But he would also have to listen to Blaise's snoring (lucky git never seemed to have to study for anything), Theodore's garbled muttering of whatever he was supposed to be reading silently, and Pansy's whining about the inconveniences of Ginny's Bat-Bogey Hex. No, he had left the common room to get away from all that. And if Crabbe asked him one more time what it was like to be a ferret, Draco thought his head might explode.

Of such was his dilemma. Should he just find another quiet spot in the castle and study there? It wasn't difficult to track down an abandoned corridor or even an empty classroom. Maybe he could take shelter in the Astronomy Tower.

Or he could swallow his pride and sit at the same table with the insufferable Hermione Granger.

It was the Astronomy Tower or nothing, he decided. He heaved a sigh and started striding for the library doorway, but within seconds, he was scurrying back under a display table for cover. It was Ernie Macmillan, sauntering into the library with his wand inconspicuously in hand. Only hours before, Draco had made a comment to Ernie on the Quidditch pitch about Scottish men and their kilts, and Ernie had promised to get back at Draco for humiliating him in front of Susan Bones. It wasn't that Draco was necessarily afraid of Ernie – he made it a habit not to pick on people he was afraid of – but Draco had left his wand in his room and wasn't really in the mood to be on the receiving end of a jinx.

Draco crouched down lower, wondering if it hurt much to jump out a tower window. Cursing his luck, he began creeping along the floor as quietly as possible, hoping to get behind a wall or pillar before Ernie turned the corner and saw him. Even if Ernie wasn't specifically looking for him, he would no doubt be reminded of the previous incident the moment he saw Draco.

Three more steps and he would make it. He tucked his Charms textbook into his robes and made a break for the next bookcase, which had several large chairs he could easily hide behind. He ducked behind the largest chair and breathed a sigh of relief. He was safe for the moment.

Making the best of the situation, Draco leaned against the bookshelf and crossed his legs out in front of him, opening his textbook and studying in, for what seemed to be the first time all day, relative peace.

But not for long. No sooner had he turned the first page when he heard footsteps approaching his hiding place. Draco knew it probably wasn't Ernie, but just the same, he wasn't taking any chances. Slamming his book shut and sliding it under the chair, he threw himself to the side and jumped into the first hiding place he saw – the empty bottom shelf of the bookcase behind him. It was a tight fit, but Draco managed to press himself to the back wall of the bookcase.

He held his breath, willing whoever it was to pass him by, but it appeared that Draco had exhausted his good luck. The footsteps stopped in front of the chair Draco had just been hiding behind, and Draco finally dared to peek his head forward just enough to see a pair of black shoes and a small hand that leaned down and picked up his textbook from under the chair.

Sweet Salazar, this was just what he needed. Not only was he trapped in a bookcase, hiding from a vengeful Hufflepuff, but now some busybody had taken his book and would probably turn it in to Madam Pince, who would demand to know why he had lost it in the library in the first place. And if they didn't turn it in, they would probably steal it, and Draco would fail his O.W.L. Draco wondered if the situation could get any worse.

Apparently it could. Because no sooner had Draco drawn himself back into the shadows of the bookcase when the black shoes walked in a circle around the chairs in front of the shelf and stopped again. The shoes belonged to none other than Hermione Granger.

Draco fought the urge to groan again. _Granger._

She turned back and forth, as if looking for someone in the long passageway between the bookcases. Finally, she seemed to give up, walking to the right and further down the passage, and Draco allowed himself to relax.

That was his first mistake.

He exhaled, the tension slowly dissipating at he watched Granger's feet move away from his hiding place. His left leg stretched a little too far, and his foot brushed a large copy of _Newts of Bognor_ that squatted at the end of the shelf. It must have been one of Madam Pince's favorites, because it suddenly threw itself open and started howling like a banshee.

Draco let out a surprised cry as he pushed himself as far away from the noisy book as he could, stopping when his back hit the opposite wall of the shelf he was hiding in. He heard footsteps jogging toward him from other parts of the library. He knew he had to act fast. That was his second mistake.

He scrambled out of the shelf quickly, turning to the right and coming face-to-face with a very surprised-looking Hermione Granger.

Granger looked back and forth between Draco and the shelf holding _Newts of Bagnor_ , which was starting to glow green and only seemed to be getting louder. Draco glanced down at her hands and saw that she was holding his Charms textbook, along with several other books.

"Malfoy, what –" Hermione started, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

Draco broke in hastily. "Never mind. Just give me my book."

Hermione looked confused, her gaze shifting back to the books in her hands. "What are you talking about? What book?"

"My –" Draco looked over his shoulder. Madam Pince was rounding the corner, her face bearing an expression terrifying enough to make a Centaur shiver. Just behind her was Ernie Macmillan, whose eyes widened when he saw Draco. Ernie gestured to Justin Finch-Fletchley and Hannah Abbott, and all three covertly drew their wands as they shadowed Madam Pince.

"What do you think you are doing?" Madam Pince bellowed at Draco and Hermione, effectively drowning out the howling coming from the bookshelf.

Draco wasn't really thinking when he did it. Some time later, he tried to rationalize his actions by telling himself that he reached for his Charms book, missed it, and grabbed Hermione's hand by mistake. Whatever the cause, one minute Draco was throwing _Newts of Bagnor_ at his infuriated pursuers, making Pince drop her wand to catch the precious tome, and the next minute he was clutching Hermione's hand and running for his life down the opposite side of the hallway. He could hear Madam Pince shouting and Ernie, Justin, and Hannah pounding behind her as he and Hermione rounded the sharp corner and ducked under another table.

"Malfoy, what in Merlin's name is going on?" Hermione whispered harshly as Draco dragged her along, trying to get to the library entrance without encountering the Justice Posse.

Draco turned toward her and held his hand out. "Give me my book, and I'll leave you be."

"What book are you talking about?"

"My Charms book," Draco shot back, looking over Hermione's shoulder to try to see if the group had spotted their hiding place. From under the table, it appeared that Ernie and Justin were arguing, while Madam Pince was putting a reverse spell on _Newts of Bagnor_ , finally putting an end to the infernal howling.

Draco reached out to grab his book, but Hermione pulled it out of his reach. "Can you prove it's yours?" she asked testily.

 _Snape was right_ , Draco thought. _Insufferable know-it-all summed Granger up pretty well._

"I don't have time for this, Granger," Draco declared, shifting closer to her to avoid being seen by Hannah, who passed the table in search of Draco and Hermione. "Just give it to me, and I'll get out of here and leave you to your studying."

"No such luck," Hermione replied, matching his tone perfectly. "You've dragged me into this mess. I won't be able to get out of it unless you tell them I had nothing to do with that book getting triggered."

"Granger –"

"And why is Ernie Macmillan after you anyway?" she snapped.

"I don't owe you any explanation, Granger. Just give me my book so I can get out of here."

Hermione opened her mouth to reply, but Draco quickly lunged forward and covered her mouth with his hand. Justin's feet stalked far too close to the table for Draco's liking. He was almost past when one of Draco's shoes brushed against the leg of the table and made a quiet thunk. Draco pulled his hand away and winced as Hermione glared at him. Justin turned back toward the table.

Then, as quick as a flash, Hermione whipped her wand out of her robes and pointed it to another corner of the library. She mattered something, and at least twenty books tumbled onto the floor, two of which hit Ernie's head. Madam Pince screamed at Ernie and ran toward the area, causing Justin and Hannah to bolt for her.

"I hate abusing books," Hermione mumbled as she grabbed Draco's hand again and pulled him out from under the table. Pince and the Hufflepuff trio were in a state of confusion as they spun in circles, looking frantically for Draco and Hermione. By this time, most of the other students who had been studying had gathered in the center of the library to find out what the commotion was. Draco and Hermione thundered through the group of students, clinging to one another's hands for dear life. Most of the students didn't realize that Draco and Hermione were the ones being pursued and simply stepped out of their way (or were shoved by a very intense Hermione). However, Tracey Davis was in the group, and, seeing her fellow Slytherin's panicked flight, shouted out, "Hey, Draco!"

Draco didn't bother to turn around and glare at her, but he could hear Hannah's surprised shout of, "Oi, Ernie, there he is!"

Draco and Hermione were already out the door as Ernie, Justin, and Hannah started their chase.

They bolted down the hallway, Draco cursing himself for not bringing his wand with him. Hermione was leading him, pulling him into a corridor he wasn't familiar with. Under normal circumstances, he would have been repulsed at holding the hand of the one person who could beat him in every single subject, as well as think up barbing retorts to all his insults; under normal circumstances, he would have jerked his hand away and let her face the wrath of the Hufflepuff Hunters alone.

But, then, these weren't normal circumstances.

Hermione had his Charms book. And she had saved his hide.

They didn't say a word, Hermione roughly pulling Draco by the hand as she expertly weaved through staircases, hallways, and portraits, Draco following the best he could. Behind them, he could hear Ernie shouting, "Better say your prayers, Malfoy!" Draco willed his feet to go even faster.

Hermione rounded a corner at breakneck speed, Draco still in tow, and nearly screamed at the sight of twin redheads looking at her curiously, both hands suspiciously behind their backs. Draco had never thought he would be glad to see Fred and George Weasley, but the day seemed to be full of surprises.

"Oi, 'Mione, what have you got there?" one of them asked, smiling mischievously.

"Yeah," the other added. "Not every day you see a Gryffindor holding a ferret's hand."

Hermione broke in quickly, breathing hard. "Not now, guys. We need your help."

Draco noted her use of the word _we_ , but wisely refrained from commenting.

Both of the twins instantly dropped their grins and took on defensive stances as they heard Ernie, Justin, and Hannah shouting and thundering down the hall. "What's going on?"

"No time to explain," Hermione insisted. "Just distract them long enough for us to get away."

Fred and George traded a look and then nodded at Hermione. "You've got it," they said together, then ran off in the direction of the angry Hufflepuffs. Draco suddenly wished he had thanked them, but there was no time.

Hermione grabbed Draco's hand and started running again, down a shadowy hallway and then up a staircase. Draco finally voiced his concern.

"Granger, where are you taking us?" he demanded, finally pulling his hand out of hers.

She only shook her head. "I don't know. Just as far away from them as I can get."

"What about the twins?"

Hermione threw a glance back at Draco. "What about them?"

"How long do you think they can hold them?"

"As long as we need," Hermione replied simply, not slowing at all.

Draco looked around at the hallway they were in. Suddenly, he saw a glimmer of hope. "In here!" He let go of her hand long enough to throw open a door and shove her inside, slamming the door shut and leaning against it to catch his breath.

Hermione did the same, one hand on a nearby wall for support. "The Trophy Room," she puffed, pulling out her wand and casting a silencing charm on the door. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Draco thought of a saucy remark, but he kept it to himself, surprisingly enough. After all, she _had_ saved him.

After a few more minutes of heaving, Hermione finally straightened and glared at Draco. "Now that we're safe, how about an explanation for all that?"

Draco rolled his eyes. She was starting already.

"It's all your fault anyway," he began. "If you –"

She didn't let him finish. " _My_ fault? How is any of this my fault?"

"Well, if you hadn't been sitting at the only available table in the library, I wouldn't have started toward the door!"

Hermione snorted. "What has that to do with anything?"

"Well, if you hadn't been sitting there, I could have sat at the table and studied in peace."

"Well, why couldn't you have just sat with me? I'm not poisonous, you know."

"Because you're –"

"Because I'm a Mudblood?" she demanded, eyes sending off sparks.

Draco winced. "I wasn't going to say that. I was going to say, I couldn't sit with you because you're an insufferably bossy and persnickety Gryffindor!"

"Well, you didn't seem to mind me taking charge and getting us out of the library much, did you?"

"I never said I did, only that –"

"Only that I'm a Mudblood."

"I didn't say that!"

"Well, you were thinking it. You've certainly said it enough before. And if you'll allow me to state an observation, Mr. Draco Malfoy, you didn't seem too upset when I used my _inferior Mudblood magic_ to save our necks!"

"I never said I was!" Draco shouted, throwing his hands in the air. Merlin, she was infuriating.

Hermione finally appeared to calm down a little. "Fine, you didn't. But listen, I wasn't the one that got us in such trouble. You're the one who set off that howling book."

"It was an accident," he sniffed. "My foot touched the book by mistake and set it off."

Hermione scoffed. "That doesn't explain why you were in the bookcase to start with. Or why you ran when Madam Pince saw us. Or why Ernie and his friends are after you. Or –"

"Merlin's teeth, will you shut it and give me a chance to explain?"

Hermione glared at him again, but said nothing.

Draco took a deep breath. "Ernie and I had a difference of opinion earlier today, and he's been looking for a chance to get back at me. I hid in the bookcase because I heard you coming and thought it was him. When the book went off and Pince alerted the whole library, I knew he would know I was there, so I tried to get out as quick as I could."

"Don't you have your wand?" Hermione demanded.

"No," Draco muttered. "I just forgot it. Sure would have been a lot easier if I had."

"Hmph," Hermione said irritably. "So why get me involved?"

Draco shook his head in disbelief. "For someone who's known as a know-it-all, you aren't very clever, are you? You have my book, Granger, and I'd appreciate it back."

Hermione frowned. "I know I have your book. What I mean is, why did you grab my hand and not just take the book and run?"

"I…" Draco faltered. He didn't have an answer to that one.

Hermione hmphed again, and Draco cleared his throat in embarrassment. "Just give it to me, Granger."

"Prove it's yours, and I'll think about it."

Draco sighed impatiently. "Open the front cover. It has my name in it."

Hermione flipped the book open, scanned the first page, then finally handed it to Draco. He snatched it back a bit harder than necessary. "At long last," he said.

He tucked the book into his robes and stood awkwardly as Hermione stared at him. "What?" he finally asked.

She blushed. That was weird. "I don't know. I was just wondering why you helped me out. You could have left me to face Pince and Ernie. Why take me with you and not just say I did it?"

Draco had been wondering the same thing. "I don't know. I just wasn't thinking, I guess." Hermione didn't reply, and the silence started getting awkward. "Well, what about you?" he said accusingly. "Why didn't you just tell them where I was? All you had to do was stand up. Pince would have believed you, and Ernie would have gotten me. But you used your magic to distract them so we could get away. Then you got the Weasleys to help me and even trusted me when I pulled you in here. Why?"

Hermione sighed. "Well, for one thing, you were as desperate to get away as I was, so I doubted you were tricking me. Second, I'm an old friend of Fred and George, and I knew they'd help me. I figured I had helped you get that far; why leave you behind to face Ernie? And as for the library, I was doing that as much for myself as I was for you. I didn't feel like getting kicked out and spending the night in detention with Pince."

Draco frowned. "That still doesn't explain why you're helping me."

Hermione said nothing. Draco said nothing in return. It was a long pause, and Draco felt the need to tug at his collar, even though he wasn't wearing one. Hermione suddenly found the tops of her shoes to be immensely fascinating.

Finally, Draco broke the silence. "Well, no matter why you did it…" he said, gritting his teeth, "thanks."

Hermione looked up. "What did you just say?"

"I said _thanks_ ," he spat. "Godric, can you not just say _'you're welcome'_ and be done with it?"

"Well," she sputtered. "Yeah, I can. You're welcome. It's just that I'm not used to hearing anything like that from you."

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it," he muttered.

Hermione paused, as if thinking deeply. "Thank you, too, Malfoy."

Draco's eyes widened. "What- I mean… what's that for?"

"Well," she replied. "You did take me with you while you were running instead of leaving me there to get blamed. And then you brought me in here. I just thought I might as well say thanks."

"Well… you're welcome," he said, shifting uncomfortably.

There was another long pause, but this time it was Hermione who broke the silence.

"That was pretty quick thinking, throwing the book at Pince like that," she commented, looking up at him hesitantly. "I don't know that I would have thought of that."

Draco nearly let his mouth drop open. Had Granger actually just given him a compliment?

"Um, I…" he stammered. "Uh, thanks." He thought for a moment. "Your distraction was pretty good, too, I guess. Having the books fall on Ernie the way you did, I mean."

Hermione cracked a hint of a smile as she replayed the memory. "Yeah, I hated making the books fall like that… but I guess it was worth it to see the horrified look on Madam Pince's face."

"Oh, did you see her when I threw the book at her?" Draco asked, feeling a smile slip onto his own face as well. "She looked like a fish! Her mouth was hanging open and her eyes were huge, and she just dropped her wand to keep the book from hitting the floor."

Hermione started snickering. "I should have charmed the books to build a tower around her and Ernie and Justin and Hannah."

"It certainly would have had to have been a high tower," Draco commented. When Hermione only looked at him curiously, he added, "Because it would have to have had a lot of _stories._ "

Hermione made an unreadable face, and Draco wondered if he had somehow offended her. She finally asked tentatively, "Did… did you just make a book pun?"

Draco wondered if he should deny it, even though he very clearly _had_ just made a book pun. And a very bad one. "Yeah, I guess you could say we had to… _book it_ out of there."

That was it. Draco Malfoy making puns? Was the world coming to an end? Hermione wasn't in any state to find out, as she was laughing so hard it echoed off the walls, all the previous stress she had just experienced flowing out. Draco caved and began laughing with her, putting a hand on the wall beside him as he guffawed. This went on for nearly a minute, neither of them able to control their laughter over such a silly joke.

When Hermione finally regained control of herself, she sent a beaming smile at Draco. "I don't know what came over me there. I never laugh that much."

Draco shook his head. "I don't know either. I don't think I've ever made a pun in my life."

Hermione smiled again. "Well, you should make them more often. They're actually quite funny."

Draco smiled in return, then caught himself. What was he doing? Hiding in a room with Hermione Granger? Having a civil conversation? Laughing with her? _Making puns?_ And _enjoying it?_ He pictured his father lying on the ground in a dead faint from shock. It was almost enough to make him start laughing again.

Hermione cleared her throat, her face a dark shade of pink. "Well, I guess I'll be going back to the Gryffindor rooms. I still have a little more studying to do on my O.W.L.s."

"Yeah, me, too," Draco responded, his mouth slipping into a straight line again.

"Do you want me to walk with you back to your common room?" Hermione asked. "I mean, I know you don't have your wand, and I wouldn't want you to run into Ernie and his friends unarmed."

Draco was shocked by her sincere kindness. "No," he finally said. "I think it's better if you don't."

Hermione looked down again. So it was already back to the way it had always been. "That's fine," she replied quietly. "I understand."

"Listen," Draco said. "Tomorrow, I'll go down to the library and explain to Pince that the whole book thing was an accident and that you weren't involved."

Now it was Hermione's turn to be surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah," Draco shrugged. "I mean, I know you spend a lot of time there, and I wouldn't want you to get banned because of me." When Hermione didn't respond, Draco continued talking in a frenzy. "There's nothing strange about it, Granger. It's just a return favor for helping me out. Don't start overthinking it and –"

"Draco," she broke in gently. "I know what you mean. Thank you."

Draco swallowed nervously. She had called him by his first name? This could only go one direction – down. "Okay."

Hermione sighed and gathered up the other three books she had brought with her from the library. "Well, I'll be going. Do you want to go first?"

Draco paused. "Actually, I think I might stay here a bit. I need to study some more, and it's impossible to do that in the Slytherin common room."

Hermione giggled, taking a few more steps toward him. What was she doing? Was she trying to – Oh. He was in the way of the door. _Numbskull,_ he thought.

"Well, in that case," Hermione said, "I'll leave you alone." She reached for the door handle, then stopped and turned to look at him shyly. "Good luck on your O.W.L.s tomorrow," she added.

Draco swallowed. "You, too." _Had he actually just said that?_

Hermione smiled at him. "Thanks."

Draco's eyes darted around nervously as she turned for the door again. There was something else he needed to say; he just wasn't sure how to say it. "Um, Granger?"

"Yes?"

"Well," he said uncomfortably. "About the Weasley twins. They, uh… they really helped me out of a spot."

Hermione smiled knowingly. Blast it.

"And I was wondering… you know, uh… you know what? Just forget I said anything."

Hermione laughed, a musical sound. "I'll be happy to tell Fred and George you said _thank you,_ Malfoy."

She really could read his mind. And she was back to calling him Malfoy.

Hermione reached for the door handle again, but Draco suddenly felt the urge to say one last thing. "Say, uh, Granger?"

Hermione sighed, pretending to be annoyed with him for stopping her again. "What is it, Draco?"

 _Draco._ He cleared his throat. "Well, um… I was thinking… You know, since we both have O.W.L.s tomorrow and everything… I was thinking you might want to stay? And study here? With me? Only if you wanted to, of course."

Draco almost took it back, knowing he had overstepped his bounds, but when Hermione graced him with a brilliant smile, he knew he had said the right thing. "I… I'd like to."

Draco felt himself smiling in return. As he and Hermione turned back to sit at one of the trophy-covered tables, he knew that even if they never spoke another word to one another, this night would be one he would never regret.

Even if Ernie Macmillan did hex him the moment he walked out the door, dazed and disheveled several hours later.


End file.
